Improvement in mechanisms for unloading grain from vessels



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Mechanisms for Unloading Grain from Vessels. No. 155,8 82. Patented 0011.13,]874.

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D. A. MORRIS. Mechanisms for Unloading Grain from Vessels.

Patented Oct. 13,1874

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Mechanisms for Unloading Grain from Vessels. N0,I55,882 Patented 0ct.13,187.4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

DAVID A. MORRIS, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISMS FOR UNLOADING GRAIN FRO M VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,882, dated October 13,1874; application filed March 26, 1874.

construction of vessels for transporting coal, ore, or other granular substances, provided with movable side linings and movable floors. and also in the construction and arrangement of conveyers and elevators in such vessel; the object of my invention being to unload said vessel by mechanical means entirely, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to makeand use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical'section of the middle portion of a vessel, showing some of the apartments for carrying coal, ore, &c., and embodying myinvention. Fig.2is a transverse vertical section of the hull through the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the line w :10, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the conveyer, showing the arrangement of shaftin g and gearing for driving the same.

A represents the hull of a suitable vessel for transporting coal, ore, or other granular substances, and provided in the center transversely with a compartment, B, in which the elevator is placed. Longitudinally in the center of the bottom of the hull, in each direction from the compartment B, extends a hou'sin g, G, for containing each a conveyer, A. The conveyer A is made of plate-iron, and may be described as being a long endless twosided pan, made in sections connected by hinges to make it flexible in one direction, so as to allow it to pass around the windlasses 0 C The inner one of these \vindlasses is used for giving motion to the conveyer, its journal-bearings being fixed; but the bearings of the other or outer Windlass-shaft are movable, and made self-adj ustin g by means of the weighted levers H, for the purpose of keeping a proper tension on the conveyer, and prevent ing the reels of the windlasses from revolving without moving the conveyer. The conveyers are supported by and move upon endless belts of anti-friction rollers D, which rollers travel on the edges of iron bars a, as shown in Fig. 1, and are kept equidistant by links or short pieces b of band-iron. These links or pieces are connected with the rollers by small pins of iron made fast in the ends of the rollers, which pins or journals play freely in said link or iron plates.

Mechanical conveyers for moving heavy materials have sometimes been provided with small wheels and axles, and a tight iron tramway arranged for said wheels to travel on but this arrangement creates so much friction that it cannot be made to carry heavy material, like coal or ore, for any considerable distance Fixed rollers, placed in a frame-work, and revolving on journals, the whole weight of the load bearing on the journals, have also been used, but are subject to the same objection.

My endless belt of anti-friction rollers mov in g upon the bars a obviate this difiiculty; and by their use a conveyer of any desired length may be operated. g

The elevator B consists of a wooden framework supporting a large pulley or drum, 0, at the top, and one end of an out-board conveyer. The elevator-buckets E are fastened to a belt in two rows, between which there is a line of cogs or spur-toothed rack, c, in short sections. This rack, in connection with the wheel K, gives motion from the engine to the elevator. The back of the belt (I, which carries the buckets and rack, bears against a series of rollers, f, which pass around a plateiron drum, F, below or at the foot of the elevator-frame. One of the chief objects of this arrangement is to have the buckets of the elevator pass around or beneath the keelson ot the vessel, and be filled in the pit Z. One end of the out-board conveyer S is hinged to the shaft of pulley 0, and the other end is sup ported on standards or props 71/, which are also hinged and movable. The lower end of the elevator-frame is hinged to a saddle, 7a, which is made fast to the keel of the vessel. The object of this arrangement is to have the outboard conveyer and the elevator operate at various angles and various heights. The same 2 I55,SS2

the two sets of shafting being connected by the bevel-gearing I J, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the apparatus is in operation, the conveyers are fed through the traps t, and as most granular substances come to a state of rest at angles varying from thirty-five to forty-eight degrees, it is evident that a large portion of the cargo would not flow to the traps without being forced to do so. The mechanism I have devised for this purpose consists of the movable side linings U, the screw-shafts R, the gearing R W X, and the shaft P. The sh aft P extends through all the different apartments or divisions of the vessel, and operates on all the gearing that is connected with it at the same time; but the pinionsX revolve freely on the shafts B. These screwshafts, or as many of them as may be desired, can be put in operation by means of the levers l and the clutches they connect with. The movable sides U have threaded nuts fastened to them for the screws to pass through; and in order to have the two opposite sides move to the center at the same time, I make each shaft R with a right-hand thread on one end, and a left-hand thread on the other. To return the movable sides the motion of the shaft P must be reversed. Attached to the back part and edge or ends of the movable sides U are wheels to run in shallow channels or channel-ways, for the purpose of keeping the weight of the movable sides off of the screws.

The operation just described would only remove such material as happens to be above the level of the traps i, and a considerable amount would still remain below that level on each side of the conveyers. To remove this, the shafts Q Q are put in motion, and they act through proper gearing on shafts S S, which have right and left hand threads for a certain distance on their upper ends, and the pinions having corresponding threads the shafts S S are forced upward, and the floors T raised to a proper height; then the movable sides are again put in motion to draw what material may be thus raised to the center, so that it will drop into said traps, and be conveyed to the pit Z.

By these means, operated in the manner de scribed, the entire cargo may be removed by steam-power at a rapid rate, and at a much less cost than such work is now done.

I am aware that it is not new to render a conveyer adjustable by means of an adjustable pulley with weight attached.

' Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the endless conveyer A A. with the Windlass 0, having a stationary bearing, with the Windlass 0 having a movable self adjusting bearing, and with the weighted lever H, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

2. An elevator constructed of an endless belt, d, carrying two rows of buckets, E, and a flexible rack, 6, between them, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The drum F, with rollers f, in combination with the elevator-chain d, toothed rack e, and wheel 70, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The movable sides U, operated by means of right and left hand screw shafts and gearing, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

5. The movable floors T, operated by means of screw-shafts and gearing, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I hereunto affix my signature this 25th day of March, 1874.

DAVID A. MORRIS. Witnesses:

WM. W. LAYSTER, R. A. MoRRIsoN. 

